The Donkey of Pinhas ben Yair That Refused Untithed Grain

Gaster, Exempla no. 235; cf. Chullin 7a

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·April 19, 2026

Pinhas b.Jari's ass, when stolen by thieves, refused to eat for 3 days because the thieves’ provender had not been tithed.

Themes

Righteousness Torah Rabbis Miracles

Continue Reading

Hebraic Literature (1901)Why Rabbi Akiva Refused to Drink the Prison WaterThe Romans had thrown Rabbi Akiva into prison, and his disciple Yehoshua Hagarsi was permitted to bring him water, a small ration, carefully measured, just enou The Exempla of the Rabbis (1924)The Corpse That Turned Rabbi Akiva Into a ScholarRabbi Akiva is remembered as the greatest student of Torah in his generation. But he did not begin that way. The Exempla preserves a small story about the door The Exempla of the Rabbis (1924)Rabbi Akiva and the Drowning Man Saved by CharityRabbi Akiva (c. 50 to 135 CE), the shepherd-turned-sage who became one of the towering figures of the Mishnaic age, told a short parable about a man he saw swep The Exempla of the Rabbis (1924)How Rabbi Akiba Converted the Governor's Wife in PrisonRabbi Akiba had been arrested by the Roman authorities during the Hadrianic persecutions and thrown into a cell. They demanded that he abandon the Torah and ado The Exempla of the Rabbis (1924)The Righteous One Whose Merit Held Back Every RainbowRabbi Shimon bar Yochai was so great that, during his lifetime, no rainbow ever appeared in the sky over the Land of Israel. The rainbow, in rabbinic tradition,The Exempla of the Rabbis (1924)The Four Miracles of Pinhas ben YairPinhas ben Yair was a second-century rabbi remembered for an unnerving combination of piety and practical wisdom. He was the son-in-law of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoch